Fur and Honor (Steel Bonds)

Chapter 12

One Month Later

Piles of dirty snow lay packed around the dockyard, and salt crunched under Miles’s boots when he shifted his weight, standing separate from the surrounding flurry of activity. A year ago, he’d been one of the men rushing around in thick canvas coveralls. Part of him envied his former fellows, but only the part that had taken a second dose of painkiller that morning to ward off the ache in his legs from the brutal cold. Most of him, however, appreciated the fine woolen coat he wore today, the warmest he’d ever owned.

His mate’s hand landed on his arm. “Breathe,” Hal whispered. “Can’t have you passing out on me. It’ll be okay, I promise.”

Above them, the Lunar Queen gleamed in the stark winter sunshine, newly arrived in port. Miles and Hal awaited the debarkation of a queen she’d borne across the ocean. Not the queen of Britannia, but someone Miles feared much more. The queen of Delacour Shipping. The Right Honorable Lady Elspeth Delacour, Countess of Calaitum.

Hal’s mother.

“I’m alright,” Miles said. “Mostly.”

Stepping in closer, Hal linked their arms. “Trust me, the telegram announcing her arrival was nicer than the one she sent the time I bought a nightclub.”

Miles had learned many things about his lover in the past few weeks, but the man continued to surprise him. “Do you still own a nightclub?” He remembered no mention of one in Mrs. Grant’s copious notes.

“Of course not. I’m a respectable businessman now.”

With a snort of laughter, Miles relaxed into Hal’s side. The first month of the year had been a blur of total bliss and nonstop work. Their appearance together at the gala had made top billing of the social pages for New Angouleme’s two major papers. Hal hadn’t needed to follow through on his promise of a press release, only answer a shouted question from a journalist. She’d deserved the scoop for braving the cold for hours outside Hal’s apartment building until he and Miles finally arrived close to sunset on the first day of the year. The kiss they shared before stepping inside, smiling around chilly lips and noses, was all the proof she needed.

No public outcry followed. Some of the city’s older wolves may have shared private complaints with each other, but those in Hal’s generation and younger hadn’t batted an eye. The city’s general citizenry didn’t seem to care one way or the other. The most dramatic reaction had been Bradford Seaver’s resignation from his position with Delacour Shipping. Hal promised their relationship was the final straw in a long line of problems for his cousin, but the upheaval at the top levels of this branch of the company put pause to any idea Miles may have had about resigning his position as Hal’s personal assistant. Instead, they’d spent long days in the office while Hal scrambled to cover Seaver’s duties until a senior director could fully step into the finance VP role.

They’d spent even longer nights together, mostly in Hal’s luxurious bed. The amazing sex and delicious coffee on the executive floor more than made up for the lack of sleep. Soon enough, life would settle down enough for them to figure out exactly how they wanted to share their future together.

If they still had a future together after meeting with Lady Delacour.

Hal sucked air through his teeth. “There she is.”

A tall woman, exuding total poise despite bundling in layers against the cold, approached them as part of a small party that included the Lunar Queen ’s captain. A curtain of white hair the same shade as Hal’s stirred in the slight breeze from the waterfront. But like Hal, the shade was no indication of her age, and Lady Delacour strode forward with sure steps on high-heeled boots. She stopped before them, close enough to reveal the fine lines that betrayed her years, and lifted a regal brow at her son.

After squeezing Miles’s arm again, another silent reminder to keep breathing, Hal released him and stepped to the side. Not to put distance between them, but to better execute a crisp bow. Miles followed suit, hoping he managed a passable imitation of the sign of respect. He attempted to school his face, even though both werewolves had to hear the pounding of his heart as if a full drumline accompanied this meeting.

“It’s lovely to see you, Mother,” Hal said, once both men returned to their full height. “I hope the journey was uneventful.”

Instead of responding, Lady Delacour stared at her son for a hard moment. Then, with a short huff and quirked smile, she turned away from Hal and toward Miles. She crossed the space between them without hesitation, giving Miles no time to think beyond juggling his cane to one side and accepting her hand. The countess’s hand was much smaller than her son’s, but they shared the same hot, certain grip.

With her other, she cupped his cheek. Her piercing blue gaze, also the same as her son’s, found whatever she sought in mere moments that also lasted an eternity. After a sharp nod, Lady Delacour said, “It is my great pleasure to meet you, Miles. You will be a boon to my son and welcome addition to our family.”

Miles gaped at her, thoroughly shocked out of propriety. “Just like that?”

A smile bloomed, and Lady Delacour’s dimples were all her own. “Just like that. What, you boys thought I’d come all this way for anything other than my blessing?”

Uncertain what came next, Miles checked Hal for reassurance. His lover’s expression mingled bemusement with surprised joy. “Truly, Mother?” he asked. “Despite…” Hal’s voice trailed off, as if unable to put into simple words the hours of fears and potential obstacles he’d shared with Miles over the past weeks.

She released Miles and flicked her hand. “Despite nothing,” she said. “This is who you’ve chosen. Did you hope this would be more complicated?”

“Well, we never thought it would be simple, your ladyship,” Miles said. For the first time that day, perhaps for the first time since they’d learned of Lady Delacour’s arrival, he managed a full breath.

“None of that. You’ll call me Elspeth.” She turned to her son, and Hal swept her into a hug that picked the smaller woman off her feet. He spun her around with a joy-filled laugh until she shrieked and batted at Hal to release her. Matching elation shined in her face when he finally set her down. “It’s simple,” she said, voice breathy with laughter, “because I know my son. I trust my son. If Hal says that you are pack, you’re pack.”

Hal’s brilliant smile at her statement made Miles’s heart stutter. The love that poured from Hal when he turned that smile on Miles warmed him better than a dozen fancy coats. Miles dipped his chin in silent acknowledgement, but the moment needed no words.

Together, Hal and Miles were pack.

They were mates.

They were everything.